


Five Easy Pieces

by daireann



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-05-20 05:12:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5992774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daireann/pseuds/daireann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marcus and Susan get a second chance. Mainly angsty drabble, more chapters to come, rating will change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She visits Earth once, when she's summonsed to give evidence at the tribunal; after all, she was in command of the actual fighting, pulling the trigger on her own people, whilst Sheridan was off being a hero. It's two weeks of long days but in characteristic style she's word-perfect, dispassionate, emotionless, until one of the tribunal judges asks about the "incident" on the White Star and her miraculous recovery (no mention is made of Marcus). She pauses, there's a slight crack in her voice as she asks whether or not that information is really necessary, and the tribunal moves on. 

She has dinner with the Sheridans a few times, and it's okay - she bitches and jokes about Earthforce and politics with them, and John at least is sensible enough to avoid any more personal topics of conversation; the closest they get to personal is when John asks if she wouldn't rather have a planet posting and she jokes that she’s a Jew and therefore used to exile. If anyone was so vulgar as to ask her, she would freely admit to running, to hiding halfway to the Rim if she could, but at least running in her own ship beat trying to hide in plain sight on Earth.

Delenn takes her aside one night, as she’s leaving and says gently "Susan, in death, we learn how to live. This....state of mind... is not what he would wish for you". Susan goes along with it, manages a noncommittal "Perhaps" and she's not sure if it's a rebuke or yet another well-meaning attempt to help. Either way she ignores it, as she knows by now that actually trying to care about anyone again and expecting an outcome that didn't break her in some way would be the very definition of insanity.

She did, however, accede to Delenn’s request to bring a Ranger on board; she was convinced it was a way to keep tabs on her, but even she struggled to say no to Delenn. It took her months to be able to see the Ranger uniform without her stomach knotting, but by that time she was able to converse fluently with the sober Minbari in Adronato. She thought he would approve.

The night before she's due to rejoin her ship, she slips away from Geneva and takes a trip to St. Petersburg. Bundled up against the cold, she passes unremarked as she sits quietly at her parents' graveside as the night rises. At least for her, the passage of time does not soften and fade her ghosts; each memory remains bright and she isn't yet sure if that's a good thing or not. Eventually she murmurs her farewells, and thinks of Marcus.


	2. Chapter 2

It was over a year since he died (seems like only she’s still mourning him in the silence of her mind) - her anger, her bitterness was fading, but the grief was still sharp. She’d had the odd message from Stephen and Sheridan; sometimes she even replied, but for now she was happiest (and she knew that was the wrong word) on her ship. She does enjoy her ship, it’s something she has dreamed of for so long but now she’s got it, it just highlights how incomplete she really is.

 

Momentous news never seems to turn up other than in the middle of the night; this news arrives just after a watch change in a night cycle. Her XO informs her there’s a Gold channel message; she sighs and says she’ll take it in her quarters.

Command has its perks; she’s only one on her ship with personal quarters. Not big, just enough space for a bunk, a desk and a small bathroom. She flicked her display on, entered her authorisation code and sees that the message sender field says “Dr S Franklin”. That's enough to arouse her suspicion; no way would he be using a Gold channel for just checking up on her. Her first horrible thought is that something has happened to John. A familiar snake of fear grips her.  
“Hello Susan. They tell me you get these every 4 hours so hopefully it won't be too long before you get this...Anyway, it’s about Marcus. He’s alive. We don't quite know how, his cryovault was due to be moved to long term storage today but something happened last night. His cryovault failed but somehow Marcus is alive. I’ve sedated him for now but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him. He’s been asking for you, Susan.”  
“I don't know if you are able to transmit, but I will keep you informed of his condition”  
“Look after yourself, Susan”

Her head swam. She replays the message; Stephen still says the same. She tried to stand up, but can't. Her hand went involuntarily to her pocket, brushing his Ranger pin which she kept there. Somehow Marcus is alive keeps echoing inside her head, it must be a dream, a mistake, a bad joke. After what seemed an eternity, finally she managed a reply.  
“Computer, record message. Recipient: Stephen Franklin, CMO, Babylon 5”  
“Stephen. I’m coming. I think.”  
Message ends.  
Shakily, she pulled out her nav maps and tried to work out a location from which they could transmit.

This was not supposed to happen; this isn't in her script, she's at a loss to how she should feel. She's at least familiar with death and loss and the grief and bitterness that accompany her aren't exactly friends, but they're at least familiar companions she's comfortable with. Second chances like this are decidedly not her forte. 

She has to go back; she owes him that at the very least. Maybe she even owes it to herself.

Stephen tells him it's probably going to be at least 10 days, maybe a fortnight before Susan can make it to Babylon 5. She's not quite as far away as you can get from Babylon 5 - he wonders if that's intentional - and the idea of her just abandoning her ship and crew to make it to Babylon 5 as soon as possible, whilst appealing to his romantic nature, is laughable. He doesn’t understand why she asked for him to be cryopreserved; several reasons flit in and out of his mind when he thinks about it, and he doesn't dare hope that one of those reasons was that she didn't want him gone any more than he wanted her gone. She always did hate not to get her own way; maybe she just wanted to make sure she got the last word, after all.

The waiting makes him nervous. Stuck in Medlab for the first few days, he searches for as much information as he can, trying to figure out what happened to her since the war. There’s a surprising amount about her in the press, it turns out; what she did during the war and her own command means she’s no longer overshadowed by her previous COs, she’s holding her own. Reading between the lines, he realises that she’s got a reputation as somewhat awkward, unwilling to sacrifice her principles on the altar of political sensibility; it makes him feel a sudden and entirely unreasonable burst of pride. He watches some of her testimony; grim faced, implacable.  
What happened, Susan? It was supposed to be a gift. A ch-  
Stephen breezes in, interrupting his thoughts. He hands Marcus a key card, tells him that temporary quarters have been arranged for him, and the offer of talking to a therapist still stands. Marcus has to suppress a laugh at the idea of talking to a therapist; if talking to people helped then perhaps he wouldn't be in this situation now. Still, he’s grateful to Stephen, accepts his invitation to dinner, and heads out the door.

He fills time with his denn’bok, which Delenn has returned to him, along with his uniform; he asked where his Ranger pin was and was very pleased to hear that Susan had taken it. He’s never heard of a non Ranger having a pin in their possession; he like to think Delenn wouldn't have let her have it if it didn't means something to her. He’s frustrated by his initial weakness; his mind knows what to do but his body is stubbornly slow to respond. Still, he thinks, it beats meditation. Who knows what trouble his mind would get him into if he lets it loose?


	3. Chapter 3

He hadn't particularly looked forward to his first encounter with the Entil’zha; he knew he was going to get a bollocking and that was never something to relish. She held off until he was out of Medlab, though,and asked him to come and see her early one morning. To his surprise, Delenn hadn't been angry about him abandonment of the fleet; she waved aside his desertion as of no consequence. Instead, she asked him whether he was sorry.  
“Sorry? Not in the slightest. I’d do it again, without a second thought. She’s alive, Delenn. That's all that mattered to me”

“It’s not all that mattered to her. Captain Ivanova trusted you,Marcus, as much as she trusted anyone, and you betrayed that trust in her, I think”  
He remained silent under Delenn’s hard stare. She carried on.  
“She has not always followed an easy path. She did not need to carry your guilt around, as well as her own.”  
That got a reaction.  
“I didn't do it out of guilt, Delenn, I did it because she deserved better. I’m not sorry. I did it because I love her. What she felt…” he corrects himself “ feels is neither here nor there” His tone has a bitter, self mocking edge to it.  
“Besides, I can't imagine it’s anything other than blind fury” Again with the mocking tone.  
“Then you do not know her as well as you think you do, Marcus”  
She carried on; her tone severe.  
“It was a selfish thing to do, Marcus, to burden her like that. If you think she deserves better then you must accord yourself the same privilege. I do not want to lose you again, and I say that as both a friend and as Entil’zha.”  
He’s stung by her words, all the more so because of the truth in them.  
“If there's nothing else, then I won't take up any more of your time”  
“There is one more thing” She pauses. “Marcus, who exactly knows that you are … alive again?”  
He considers.  
“Well, it’s not exactly a secret. I would say most of the Rangers know...People have seen me about the station, even if I haven't taken out an advert in Universe Today”  
She purses her lips.  
“Why do you ask?”  
She walks over to the sideboard and picks up a slim buff envelope. She hands it to him, it’s got his name written in neat capitals.  
“This arrived for you”  
“Oh. Right” He takes it and neatly slits it open, with a sense of foreboding. 

Marcus.  
After your death, Captain Ivanova said that all love is unrequited. I hope you can show her that she is wrong; I no longer have sufficient faith to do so.  
I have arranged for my body to be disposed of; there is no need to trouble Delenn with such matters.  
Farewell.  
Lennier

It took every shred of his training, all of his mental strength to remain composed as he read it, forcing his face to betray nothing. He looked up at Delenn, waiting somewhat expectantly; she was too polite to ask.  
Eventually, he manages a small, sad smile.  
“It’s from another of the Anla’shok. Just...a note telling me to…” He pauses, choosing his words carefully...”Embrace the future”  
Delenn smiles, relieved. She lays a hand, fondly, on his arm. “It is good advice. You should take it”  
He nods, slowly, lost in thought.

She doesn't know what time she actually arrives on station, her body clock is shot all to hell, anyway, but given how quiet it is, she knows it's a night cycle. She’s been on edge ever since she got the message from Stephen but the closer she gets to Babylon 5, the more she realises what she really is, is scared. Scared of who she’ll find there, and what it means to her.

Her Earthforce pass lets her slip in through the automated gates, and grants her access to the station computer. Nothing's changed, no matter who's in charge this is still her station; she sees that he's been assigned some temporary quarters and uses her command privilege to check whether he's in them or not. He is. _Ah, hell._

She’s glad she knows the station well, she’s operating on autopilot, too scared to think. It doesn't occur to her that he might be asleep; in any case he’s not. When the door chimes, Marcus knows instantly who it is (who else would call at this hour???), has said her name before the door’s finished opening. Somehow she steps over the threshold, and reaches out to touch his cheek, involuntarily, her mind doesn't trust what her eyes are seeing. His wits have deserted him, hell, he can barely stand up. She hasn't changed - sure, her face is more careworn than he remembers but every other detail is as perfect as he remembered, still makes his stomach knot and his breath catch. He doesn't understand why her eyes are so bright in the dim light and then he realises that they’re tears, beginning to flow. Somehow, it doesn't seem presumptuous to pull her close, to hold her whilst she sobs gently.

He murmurs into her hair “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”  
She’s pulled back slightly, giving herself space to talk. “I heard you say, “ I love you”, and I thought it was God, Marcus, because who else was there left?”  
“I had finally found peace. I had done what we needed to do. We had gotten to Mars. I was…content. It was a good end. And you stole it from me, and there was nothing left for me,absolutely, nothing left at all.” She pauses. “I didn't think I would ever be able to forgive you, Marcus”  
He realises his cheeks are wet too.  
“I had to do...what I did...It was all I could do. No matter what I did, you were lost to me. everyone else just accepted it, that you were going to die, and I couldn't have that, you see, i didn't want a world without you. I didn't have anything else to give you. This way, at least… At least you had a chance, even if I knew you'd hate me for it.”

“I don't hate you. It’s not hate. I am...was..angry. It hurt, Marcus, it hurts more than you’ll ever know.” She sniffs, scrubs tears from her face.  
“It’s just...I don't know...I… We… We didn't stand a chance, did we? People like...us…”  
“That was then. This is now”

This is not quite going how she imagined it would. Her anger has vanished, it did the moment she saw him, yet again he’s pulled the rug out from under her feet. And it’s relief that’s coursing through her veins, it’s true, it’s really true, and suddenly she’s weightless, giddy, unshackled from her grief, or maybe just unhinged. She almost feels like laughing, and as she stands here, enveloped by him she realises that it's been years since anyone held her like this, not since Talia, and that it feels so very, very good. This time she has to. This time will be different. Please God, let it be different.

Finally, she looks up at him. “I’m not good at...this. People. Relationships”  
“Neither am I”  
“But I don't think I want to be alone, anymore” 

They sleep together, in the literal sense, that night. The idea of being apart again seems absurd.


	4. Chapter 4

Someone once said that facing your fears robs them of their power; and casually, gradually ànd subtly this is what happens to Susan Ivanova. She’s managed to get a temporary secondment to the station, arguing she was only weeks from the end of cruise anyway, and she can write up reports and promotion boards from the station as well as from Earth. People have the good sense to generally leave them alone, although Marcus suspects Delenn has played a role in that. Susan keeps a low profile; partly out of professional courtesy to the new Captain in charge of the station, and partly because she doesn't want to answer everyone's questions; still, she’s gratified gratified by the number of people who seek her out to say they’re glad to see her. Unconsciously they seek out each other's company, talking about their work, politics, what happened whilst Marcus was gone, or Marcus just reading whilst she works; she’s still not convinced that this is some temporary reprieve, doesn't trust this level of good fortune.  
It feels good to have him around again, even if she can't pretend to be annoyed with him all the time any more, good to have someone who doesn’t look up or down to her, but looks at her, takes her as she is.

Susan was used to nightmares; they’d been a pretty constant companion since her mother died and they’d been especially bad on the Titans until the Vorlon ship took up residence. They take on a new and desperate cast now Marcus is back and after waking sobbing yet again she goes in search of him. It’s just gone 3am (the significance of the time is not lost in her) but she doesn't hesitate to ring his doorbell. He answers quickly, bleary eyed and bare chested; somewhat to her annoyance part of her is no longer thinking about nightmares; not even in the slightest.  
“Can I come in?”  
“Of course”  
She does and the door closes softly behind her; she feels she should justify her presence.  
“Um. Just checking up on you”  
A wry smile from him as he shrugs into a top.  
“I’m not complaining at all, but it’s an odd time for checking up, wouldn't you say?”  
She looks away.  
“Nightmare, that's all”  
“Ah. Sit down, I’ll make some tea, if you’d like”

A few minutes later and she's hunched over a steaming cup of tea, sitting on the small sofa in his quarters. Marcus is sat easily on the floor, cross-legged and with his own mug.  
“You know, the Minbari prescribed seventeen different meditation practices for them, after my brother died”  
A look of consternation flits across her face. He’s not seriously suggesting meditation to her, is he?  
“And? Did it help?”  
“Susan, there’s a very important thing you should know about me” He pauses. “I absolutely, positively hate meditation”  
She laughs, she can't help it. He is human, after all.  
“So how did you survive Ranger training? I thought they would have been pretty hot on that kind of thing.”  
“They are. Sinclair promised me that I didn't have to sign up for all the Minbari metaphysics when I joined the Rangers. He was almost right” He smiles, remembering Jeff fondly.  
“I mean, don't get me wrong, it has its uses but for the Minbari, it’s everything. That said, none of the other human Rangers seem to have quite the same level of issues with meditation as I do, so I suppose that says more about me than about the utility of meditation” He settles back. “Besides, I was quite good at some of the other stuff”  
She smiles, fiddles with her mug; they lapse into silence, broken by her yawning.  
“Stay. That is, if you want to, you’re more than welcome to…you can have the bed and i’ll...” He trails off, wondering if he’s been too forward, read the situation all wrong.  
She considers it, and decides that actually she really did mean it when she said she didn't want to be alone any more.  
“If that’s okay”  
He’s relieved, and nods.  
“Just let me grab a pillow”  
She laughs  
“Marcus, I don't bite. At least, not tonight”

Lying in bed together, he reaches for her hand; she pulls it up to her cheek and holds it against her, breathing in his faint leathery smell as she drifts off. It’s soft and innocent and cozy, and Marcus too, slips into sleep listening to her evening breath.

She wakes first; he’s still asleep, face innocent and a lock of hair obscuring one eye. Last time she saw him like that was not a pleasant memory; she tucks the stray hair behind his ear and gently kisses him, creating a new one, banishing the ghosts. He wakes with a start.  
“I’m heading back to mine,going to grab a shower, get changed”  
“Did you just…”  
She grins  
“I’ll see you later, Marcus. And thank you”


	5. Chapter 5

It’s been weeks since she arrived back, maybe even months, and Earthforce are demanding to know when she’s going to return to active duty, when it finally coalesces into a formal thought; what's been making her so uncomfortable even as she’s more and more at ease with Marcus. She doesn't want to leave the station if it means leaving him, she’s sleepwalked into something like happiness. She tries to figure out a posting that will work; Babylon 5 is obviously out; it’s got a new captain now, and anyway she freely admits she’s not the political animal needed to do that job. Another ship, maybe, but even if Marcus was the Ranger assigned he’d be bored out of his mind. Well, there’s always an Earth flag posting; if she stays she knows it's only a matter of time before it's hers. But she doesn't quite want that any more…

She’s been subdued for a few days, turning the problem over in her mind. It’s gone midnight and she’s still working; he’s sprawled on her sofa reading. She’s never sure if he’s reading some English classic or a report from a Ranger outpost, and before she knows it her mind has wandered and she’s idly watching him. She indulges herself; he’s relaxed, legs outstretched, one hand above his head, the other supporting his reader. Eventually Marcus caves.  
“Susan, you’ve been watching me for the last 20 minutes. If you're bored, I can suggest other things to do beside watch” he says archly  
She flushes, she should have known he had realised she was watching him. He puts down his reader and turns to her. “What is it, Susan?”  
She throws down her stylus, sighing.  
“It’s Earthforce. They want to know when I’ll be available for duty”  
He doesn't move but now he’s on high alert, realises the implications of what she’s saying.  
“Technically, my tour finished a few days ago, and I have leave...a lot of leave… but they want to know how long I want off and where to put me when I get back”  
She gets up, and pours herself a drink.  
“And? Where do you want to be? Another ship? Planetside?”  
She tosses back the vodka, sighs.  
“I don't know anymore”  
_Here. Goddamn it, I want to be here. With you. Wherever you are._  
She pours herself another shot.  
“If I said I wanted another ship, what would you say?”  
He considers it. He hadn't really got as far as thinking about a future. He stalls for time.  
“That depends. Is that what you are saying?”  
She toys with the glass, can't quite bring herself to look at him; he’s gotten up off the sofa and walks over to her.

“What I am saying is that this is my last chance to walk away from you, from us and I don't want to,and this means we have a problem because damn it Marcus, this means something now and I am beginning to think it must be love because only love could …” She trails off as she realises he’s smiling, God damn him, she’s as serious as she’s ever been and he is smiling at her.

He laughs, partly out of amusement, partly out of frustration, partly out of relief, which makes her want to hit him. She thinks she actually could except that he’s taken her vodka from her, taken her hands gently in his and he’s stronger than her again, and he’s not letting her go.  
“You’re a hard woman, Susan Ivanova. I’ve dreamt of you saying that, except in my dreams it made you happy”  
He’s right; only she could manage to find love something to worry about. Maybe it’s understandable but she can't help but laugh at herself.  
“Love _and_ happiness? You don't ask for much, do you?”  
“Well, I always did like the bigger delusions”  
“This isn't a delusion any more, Marcus” This time she is smiling, this time she makes the leap, whispers words she had not thought she would use again. It’s terrifying her, but it's exhilarating, liberating and binding all at once. _So this is what it feels like_. “God help me, but I do love you” It sounds like a confession, and she supposes it is, but it wasn't Marcus who needed to hear it. He bites the inside of his cheek, to check that he really isn't dreaming, and that he didn't just imagine her whisper.  
“I know.”

She kisses him, fiercely; his heart soars and that all too familiar ache in his loins is growing, this is what he’s been waiting for, now they are equal.

Afterwards, they sleep, clinging damply to each other; the morning comes sooner than either of them would like. Susan sits up in bed, steeling herself to get out. Marcus reaches out for her; he’s entranced, can't reconcile this creature, face smudged with sleep and smelling deliciously of sex and sweat with the Captain Ivanova who’ll walk out the door at some point, uniform immaculate and hair perfectly plaited, and pulls her back down, smiling as she laughs.

“Well, you look like hell”  
“And that’s why you seem to start wars every time you turn around"  
“Touché” Sheridan grins, sits down beside her with his tray, in the mess where she's having what passes for breakfast. “Rough night?”  
She gropes for words, thinking of last night.  
“You could say that, I guess”  
“What’s up?”  
She sighs, takes a sip of coffee  
“It’s Earthforce”  
“Why am I not surprised?”  
“They want to know when I’ll be back. What I’m going to do”  
“And? What are you going to do?”  
“Beats the hell outta me…Another Warlock-class, maybe, or an Earth posting…”  
“I’m not feeling your enthusiasm here, Susan…”  
She sighs.  
“There are….complications, now”.  
He grins.  
“I’m very pleased for you. God knows it’s about time you got a break. Both of you”  
“Thanks” She smiles shyly, girlishly; he’s thrown by it, it’s not an expression he’s ever seen from her before. Anyway, it vanishes as quickly as it comes.  
“Even if there wasn’t, I’m tired, John. There’s another war coming, John. Sooner or later, I can … feel… it. And I don’t believe in this one, I don’t want to fight any more...I don’t want any part of it. And when it comes, not even here will be safe for me any more”  
He nods, soberly. "Well, I've always found figuring out what I want easiest. Then all you gotta do is figure out how to get it. Anyway, gotta run. Talk later?"  
She waves him away. For once, knowing what she wants isn't a problem.

Marcus and Susan returned to the previous night's interrupted conversation later that night. Or maybe it was early the next morning; neither of them cared as they lay comfortably naked next to each other.

“I’ve always had this idea of finding a beach somewhere deserted, where noone could bother me, and just never leave”

“Why don't we?” The _we_ is still new, still unfamiliar, but entirely pleasurable. He hopes he never gets used to it.  
“Excuse me?”  
“There’s nothing really stopping us, is there? I mean, we could just go and buy a ship. And finally get around to travelling, doing something new. I’m pretty sure the universe can manage without us for a few years, if you can put up with my singing” She laughs, she’s grown accustomed to his resolutely cheerful early morning singing when he’s taken advantage of her shower; it beats any alarm clock.  
“Well, I’m doing all right, Marcus, but you do know how much a jump-capable ship costs, don't you?”  
“Yes”  
“And??”  
“I can afford that” He does enjoy surprising her.  
She’s staring at him, open mouthed, before he explains. “When the mining company was destroyed, the insurance was….Well, put it this way. Neither of us will have to find honest employment for a while”  
He’s right. The more she thinks about it, he’s right. There isn't anything stopping them.

It takes them a week or so to get things lined up; Marcus disappears off station for a few days, and shortly after his return a sleek, subtle ship appears to loiter in orbit around Epsilon 3.Susan quietly resigns. She has to throw her weight around to get a Gold channel open to her general. _Great_ , she thinks, _they spend ages bugging me for a decision and when I have one they don't want to know._  
“What do you mean you wish to resign your commission?”  
“Just that, sir. I’ve given it a lot of thought. It's not a decision I’ve taken lightly”  
“Are you going to explain yourself? Has Sheridan offered you a post?”  
“Personal reasons. I’ve spent nearly 20 years with Earthforce. I’ve had enough”  
“Captain, you're making a mistake.” Susan's impatience with this conversation just confirms to her that this is anything but.  
“You can pretty much name your command, you realise? Your name is being spoken of as a future Chief of Staff”  
She’s silent, doubtful; she knows she’s too awkward, too uncompromising to have much of a shot at a top job with its political requirements. Besides, there’s the inconvenience of playing a major role on the wrong side of a civil war.  
“My decision’s made, General” He’s faced with the same stare that stared down First Ones, Shadows and her own people; it doesn't take long before he sighs.  
“All right. I’ll accept it. If you’re sure.”  
“I am”

Marcus slips out of her quarters early one morning, despite Susan's sleepy protestations. Mornings never really bothered him; if there's something to do then it needs doing no matter what time of day. Clear headed for what feels like the first time in decades (and to be fair, it probably is), he finds Delenn in her quarters, a cup of tea cooling beside her. He apologises for disturbing her so early, even though he knows she will have been up for a while.  
“May I offer you some tea?”  
“Thank you, but no”  
“Then how may I be of service? I do not imagine you are calling for social reasons at such an early hour”  
He nods. “No, not social reasons. A lot has happened lately, Delenn, it seems like more has happened in these weeks than in all my years before. A renewal. But it’s not complete. Not finished. Delenn, I need your help.”  
“Marcus, you know that if I can, I will”  
“Delenn, I wish to...I need to perform Nafak’cha”  
Her face breaks into a delighted smile.  
“I would be honoured”

He almost feels bad, seeing the anguish on her face when he tells her about Lennier during the ceremony, especially in light of what he’s about to give her. But she’s a lot stronger than she looks, and anyway, this is about his rebirth, his renewal.

He hands her something and she realises it’s his Ranger pin, she gasps, falters, but manages to carry on to the end.  
_And how it begins_ , Marcus thinks as Delenn finishes her intonation.  
“Marcus… Are you sure you wish to leave the Rangers?”  
He nods.  
“I’m finally free of it all, Delenn” His face is serene, smiling gently, in contrast to Delenn’s shocked countenance. “I don't need the Rangers any more, and they probably don't need me either. You, and the Rangers, gave me a reason to live when I needed one. I wouldn't be where I am now without the Rangers. But now….”He pauses, allowing himself to luxuriate in thoughts of a future he wants, a future he can have.  
“But now, we have a future. Ourselves”  
Delenn nods. He expects her to say something formal to conclude the ceremony, but instead, to his surprise, she pulls him into a hug. When she lets go, she says  
“There will always be a place for you among the Rangers. You will always be welcome, both of you.”  
“Thank you.” And he means it, sincerely. “But I don’t think we will need it”

They take a small shuttle out to their ship early one morning, before the trade rush starts. Susan puts a call through to Sheridan, just before they jump.  
“Good morning, John. Sorry to wake you” John blinks at her, bleary eyed; she’s smiling and doesn't look in any way sorry.  
“Susan. Everything okay?”  
“Yeah. Listen, Marcus and I are heading off”  
“Heading off? What’s up? Where are you going?”  
“Don't know” He realises she’s not wearing uniform.  
“Wait, what? What do you mean you don't know where you are going? When are you going to be back?”  
“ Don't know that either. Just...look after the place for me, will you? We’ll come back and visit...sometime”  
He thinks he’s finally figured óut what’s happening but you never can tell with Susan Ivanova.  
“Well, so long”  
“So long, John. And thanks for everything”

The jump point swirls open in front of them.  
“Well, where _are_ we going?”  
“Tell me, Susan, have you ever heard of a planet called Chryn 3?”  
"Can't say that I have. Should I?"  
He smiles. "Probably not. But I think you'll rather like it"

END.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been obsessing about I/M since I first saw B5. This is one of my attempts to give them a happy ending. It's also the first fic I have ever written, and probably a riff on Space Time and the Incurable Romantic.


End file.
